Madrone officially clinches Fifth District seat

FIFTH DISTRICT – Come next January, Steve Madrone will be sworn in and take over as the new Fifth District supervisor.

On July 3, the Humboldt County Elections Division released its final count for the June 5 election, in which voters chose Madrone over incumbent candidate Ryan Sundberg by a slim margin of only 118 votes.

Madrone received 3,607 votes, or 50.71 percent, while Sundberg received 3,489 votes, or 49.05 percent.

Sundberg will continue on the job until the end of the year. Madrone will be sworn in at the first Board of Supervisors meeting in January, tentatively set for Jan. 8.

Sundberg conceded the race in a written message and sent an email congratulating him.

Madrone and Sundberg. Union file photos

“The final election results have come in and we are down by 188 votes. I do not think a recount will change anything, so I am conceding the election to Mr. Madrone,” Sundberg wrote.“I feel like I let a lot of people down who invested time, energy, and money into our re-election, and for that I apologize. At the end of the day, I put my heart and soul into the job and gave it my very best effort, so I am content with the outcome. I also think I have left the District in better shape, with roads, full sheriff substation, and emergency coverage to name a few. I am proud to be the only Native American to sit on the BOS, and hopefully someone will be the second, and that critical voice will be projected through our local, state, and fed government. I am also very grateful for the life long friendships I have made in the last 8 years. I will certainly miss my colleagues on the Board and the Coastal Commission, they are dedicated and top notch people. I will also miss our staff, we are very lucky in Humboldt to have such dedication, and I appreciate everything they do every day. Finally, I would like to thank my friends and family, I was not able to spend as much time with you all, but you understood. My wife and daughter especially, putting up with all the time away and the drama that is politics so I could serve our community, I love you very much. We are not going anywhere, so I will stay involved and very much look forward to the next chapter in my life starting in 2019. Thank you all for the support, well wishes, prayers, encouragement, and inspiration, we appreciate it very much.”

Sundberg also wrote an email to Madrone that states “I wanted to reach out and congratulate you and your campaign team on a tough election and ultimate victory. I also wanted to let you know I will not be challenging the results by asking for a recount, and I am conceding the election to you. I have no hard feelings and I will be committed to doing everything possible for a smooth transition in January. Please reach out if you need anything from me.